APPENDIX II
The “Ecumenical Movement” [placed at end of Volume I, after the preceding Appendix, in print edition]
On December 20, 1949 the Holy Office issued an instruction on the “Ecumenical Movement” addressed to all local Ordinaries. In its prefatory remarks the Instruction insisted upon the Church’s intense interest to attain to the full and perfect unity of the Church. It noted as an occasion of joy the desire of many separated from the Church to return to the unity of Christ’s fold, a good intention, indeed, which, however, in being put into practice has not been regulated by right principles. Accordingly the Holy Office prescribed that local Ordinaries maintain due vigilance over the associations seeking Church Unity, that they designate well-qualified priests to pay close attention to everything which concerns the “Movement,” and that they supervise publications on this matter by Catholics or by non-Catholics, in as far as these are published, or read, or sold by Catholics. The manner and method of proceeding in this work is to be regulated by the Ordinaries, who are cautioned to prevent the growth of indifference to Catholic truth and fallacious hopes of unity based upon false or impossible foundations. With regard to mixed assemblies of Catholics and non-Catholics, when there seems to be hope of spreading knowledge of Catholic doctrine, the Ordinary is instructed to designate well-qualified priests, to explain and defend the Church’s teaching. Special permission, however, must be obtained from Ecclesiastical Authority if Catholic laymen are to attend. Where no hope of good results exists, the meetings are to be ended or gradually suppressed.
The following specific instructions are given for the conduct of “Ecumenical meetings.”
All the aforesaid conferences and meetings, public and non-public, large and small, which are called for the purpose of affording an opportunity for the Catholic and the non-Catholic party, for the sake of discussion, to treat of matters of faith and morals, each presenting on even terms the doctrine of his own faith, are subject to the prescriptions of the Church which were recalled to mind in the _Monitum, “Cum compertum_” of this Congregation under date of 5 June, 1948. Hence, mixed congresses are not absolutely forbidden; but they are not to be held without the previous permission of the competent Ecclesiastical Authority. The _Monitum_, however, does not apply to catechetical instructions, even when given to many together, nor to conferences in which Catholic doctrine is explained to non-Catholics who are prospective converts, even though the opportunity is afforded for the non-Catholics to explain also the doctrine of their church so that they may understand clearly and thoroughly in what respect it agrees with the Catholic doctrine and in what it differs therefrom.
Neither does the said _Monitum_ apply to those mixed meetings of Catholics and non-Catholics in which the discussion does not turn upon faith and morals, but upon ways and means of defending the fundamental principles of the natural law or of the Christian religion against the enemies of God who are now leagued together, or where the question is how to restore social order, or other topics of that nature. Even in these meetings, as is evident, Catholics may not approve or concede anything which is in conflict with divine revelation or with the doctrine of the Church even on social questions.
As to local conferences and conventions which are within the scope of the _Monitum_ as above explained, the Ordinaries of places are given, for three years from the publication of this Instruction, the faculty of granting the required previous permission of the Holy See on the following conditions:
1. That _communicatio in sacris_ be entirely avoided;
2, That the presentations of the matter be duly inspected and directed;
3. That at the close of each year a report be made to this Supreme Sacred Congregation, stating where such meetings were held and what experience was gathered from them.